Enloe Century Project Frequently Asked Questions

What is Enloe Century Project?

The Enloe Century Project is an expansion of Enloe Medical Center at 1531 Esplanade in Chico.
The project consists of a new patient tower that includes a Surgery Center; an expanded Emergency Department, a parking structure and a park. The expansion is designed to enable Enloe to meet the health care needs of the growing community and satisfy state seismic requirements. See our Century Project Fact Sheet. (Adobe PDF)

When did the Magnolia Tower Open?

The doors of Enloe Medical Center's Magnolia Tower opened for care on Thursday, Nov. 15. This a five-story patient tower with a Mediterranean-style facade double the size of the medical center, adding 191,000 square feet of space.

What does the Magnolia Tower offer?

This new patient tower encompasses many services and offers new amenities.

ASurgery Center doubles the number of existing surgical suites and has its own street entrance, reception area and lounge.

The Nettleton Mother & Baby Care Center is a beautiful unit dedicated to maternity services, offering private birthing and couplet care rooms, among the other amenities for families.

Larger Medical/Surgical Units offer private and quiet rooms. Specialty rooms on each floor include a bariatric room with special lift equipment and isolation rooms for patients with contagious illness.

A new main entrance with a reception area, lounge, private admitting areas.

>A new Gift Shop and our Meditation Room provide places of comfort.

Comfortable family lounges on each upper floor offer a refreshment area.

Separate elevators for patients and the public, enhance patient privacy..

What is the Emergency Department Expansion?

Enloe has outgrown the existing emergency room space in the years since it first opened in 1981. As of 2014, the emergency department at Enloe Medical Center sees 50,000 patients a year. The expansion, which began in November 2012, will add much needed room to comfortably care for the growing number of patients seen each year. This project consists of two phases: a new single-story building adjacent to our existing Emergency Department, in the first phase of the project; as well as renovating the existing Emergency Department, in the second phase of the project. The first phase adds 16,535 square feet. When the entire department expansion is complete, it will be just under 22,000 square feet in size. Features of the new addition are designed to enhance speed and comfort of care, and include:
• Canopied walk-in and drive-up patient entrance and separate ambulance entrance (both at W. 5th Ave.)
• Comfortable lobby with a children’s play area with books and a TV playing cartoons• Admitting, triage and advance practice areas designed to expedite less emergent cases
• 25 treatment beds in private rooms, including 5 resuscitation suites; a room with a contamination shower; and negative airflow isolation rooms. The department is designed to handle a multi-casualty incident, as Enloe is the disaster control facility for our region.
• 2-bay trauma room with overhead digital X-ray• 2 behavioral health rooms for private, dignified treatment of psychiatric emergencies• Private conference room for doctors and social workers to talk with patients and their family
• Dedicated x-ray machine and 128-slice CT scanner
• Additionally, the department’s interior design and art matches the look of the Magnolia Tower.

What is the Park?

When the Emergency Department construction is complete, we will build a park across the street from the medical center. It will be located between West 5th and 6th Avenues, from Arcadian to Magnolia.

What about the PARKING STRUCTURE?

A four-level, three-story parking structure opened in August 2008. It was the first phase of the Enloe Century Project and provides 742 parking spaces, much needed spsace for everyone at the medical center. Located 130 W. 6th Avenue, the building has a Mediterranean-style façade that complements the Magnolia Tower's exterior. Its beauty is enhanced by art panels featuring the work of local artists.

Will the existing patient tower be renovated?

Yes. Enloe continues to improve the existing hospital tower, known as the Fifth Avenue Tower, as well as original buildings of the medical center and the surrounding grounds. Renovations will match the look of the Magnolia Patient Tower and add a family lounge to each nursing unit. We also upgraded the facade to complement the Magnolia Tower.

When was the last expansion of the medical center?

The Enloe Century Project is the fourth expansion of its Esplanade campus. The maternity, ancillary and south wings were added in 1950, 1968 and 1971, respectively. Enloe’s first patient tower, the Fifth Avenue Tower, opened in 1981.

Why is Enloe expanding?

After the Northridge earthquake in 1994, the state of California passed legislation requiring hospitals to rebuild or retrofit their facilities to meet strict seismic standards by 2013 – or shut down completely. The legislation was written to assure that hospitals throughout the state remain relatively undamaged and operational after a major earthquake. The Century Project enables Enloe to meet the deadline. The Fifth Avenue patient tower, completed in 1980, is compliant with seismic guidelines. The Magnolia Patient Tower houses the patient units in the original hospital building, constructed in 1937 as well the additions made before 1979. When the tower is complete, these older structures will be converted for other uses. The expansion will also allow Enloe to accommodate more patients and make room for more medical equipment.

How much will the project cost?

Fully equipped, the Enloe Century Project is expected to cost $175 million.

How Is Enloe funding the expansion?

Although the state requires seismic updates, it is not funding construction projects. This is up to individual hospitals. Enloe is financing the project with savings, bonds, a fund-raising campaign and the sale of our former Bruce Road vacant property. Absolutely no community or state tax hikes are involved.

How can I learn more about the progress of the construction?

Enloe publishes a regular newsletter updating neighbors about construction. It can be found online.

How can I donate to the Enloe Century Project?

Opportunities to support the Enloe Century Project are plentiful. Your donations are welcomed and appreciated. In addition to greatly assisting the success of this important expansion, many gifts also involve tax advantages for donors and their families. For more information on giving toward the Enloe Century Project, you can contact the Enloe Foundation at 530.332.4550.